WHAT’s Oyster Spectacular silly and salty

Hey, all ya clammers, codgers and coots, WHAT’s got a real humdingah of a funny show and they’re rakin’ in the laughs ovah theya – by the bushel. So pull on a clean pair of boots and head over to The Happy Oyster Spectacular Show. This choice comic chowder offers some select spoofs – in all, it’s a real pearl of a parody that lampoons local lifestyles in a decidedly ‘Fleetian way.

Hey, all ya clammers, codgers and coots, WHAT’s got a real humdingah of a funny show and they’re rakin’ in the laughs ovah theya – by the bushel. So pull on a clean pair of boots and head over to The Happy Oyster Spectacular Show. This choice comic chowder offers some select spoofs – in all, it’s a real pearl of a parody that lampoons local lifestyles in a decidedly ‘Fleetian way.

Written and produced by Subtractive Media, a Wellfleet-based gang of writers, actors, musicians and filmmakers, Happy Oyster is a salty blend of film shorts, including outrageous, hilarious commercials, and staged skits introduced by a couple of old timers hosting a show titled, “Oyster Talk.” While some of the humor is unabashedly crude and not all the skits land on their feet, the film sections of the piece and most of the live action scenes deliver hearty laughs not usually heard in an upscale theater.

What works so well in this comedy review is the group’s unfaltering commitment to keeping it local. These guys have some goofy comic chops, as anyone who kept a keen eye on local access television a few years ago could confirm, but they manage to avoid sullying the broth with pop-culture references or political send-ups. Instead, the subject matter remains fiercely local, with plenty of actual oyster talk, including a PSA on oyster drills, discussion of delicious (if unheard-of) oyster dishes, and repeated references to “oystah likkah sweetenin’ the pot.”

While the Neoprene waders and fishing boots are never far from sight, the show focuses on more than the flats. Sketches about the “Island of Documentary Filmmakers,” winter in Wellfleet (almost everything is closed but the package store is open for business), Bivalve Community College and their study of tourist types, real estate development on Stellwagen Bank, and a military-produced theatrical play being tested at sea reveal the wacky creativity of this group.

One of the funniest film shorts involves a posse of old trucks parked front and center at an ocean beach, with pairs of occupants deep in discussion. The interplay between delightfully stupid conversations and the inner thoughts of the classic Lower Cape characters is comic genius. It’s possible the writers were giving a nod to Caitlin Langstaff’s Car Theater performed at Whitecrest Beach, or they may simply have been spoofing an all-too familiar off-season pastime.

For devotees of Eric Williams’ old Wednesday morning gig on WOMR, the chance to see The Old Guy in person is more than worth the ticket price. For those who haven’t had the occasion to hear Toby Everett’s dead-on impression of an old Cape Cod codger, Christ, Bud – you’ve got some catchin’ up to do! The true identity of The Old Guy was, for a time, real-life coffee shop chat fodder, with folks weighing in on who might have done the impression and even some suspicion that it was a real old guy. The Old Guy’s spotlighted soliloquy on the preferred method of filling cracks in exterior trim with caulk produced raucous laughter.

Local power-pop girl group The Ticks provided a pair of Beachcomber-style loud, rocking tunes, and Eric Williams penned lyrics for a Lyme disease musical number featuring an oversized tick for the show’s finale. Laid-back clammers Pitney Bowes and Hewlett Packard - hosts of the Oyster Talk show - were played by Dave Kennedy and Scott Howe, respectively, and their efforts at these roles and the many other characters they took on were consistently hilarious. Their work was supported by Holly Erin McCarthy’s robust performance in a number of live roles and Karisa and Isabel Rogers’ cute work on film and stage. Dick Morrill played himself in a couple of spots, and his “Things That Almost Killed Dick Morrill” was particularly enjoyable. The show is being recorded for broadcast on WOMR at an undisclosed date in the future, so if you don’t get a chance to see it at WHAT, keep an ear tuned to 92.1 FM and you can kick yourself later for not catching it live.

Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater presents The Happy Oyster Spectacular Show by Subtractive Media and directed by Casey Clark, 8 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 30 at the Julie Harris Stage, 2357 Route 6A in Wellfleet. There will not be a performance on Aug. 2. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling the box office at 508-349-9428 (WHAT) or by going to www.what.org